Through the Green Bear Coalition, a registered student organization at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA), students across campus are working to turn small actions into meaningful change. The student-led organization coordinates sustainability initiatives at UCA while creating opportunities for students to volunteer, learn and connect with environmental stewardship.
“Green Bear really coordinates and partners with different groups on campus and in the community to better the sustainable environment that we all live in,” said Jacob Nowlin, Green Bear’s graduate student advisor. “We like to think that anybody who cares about sustainability is a Green Bear.”
Founded in 2021 as an Honors project, the Green Bear Coalition was created to bring together students passionate about sustainability and build a stronger culture of environmental awareness at UCA. Now, the organization works across campus and the Conway community to advocate and educate others on sustainable practices while promoting a collaborative approach to caring for the environment.
Green Bears are involved in environmental initiatives on campus and in the surrounding community. The organization provides volunteer opportunities, leadership experiences, guest speakers and networking opportunities for all UCA students interested in sustainability and environmental responsibility.
Some of the Green Bear Coalition’s most visible work is the gardens it maintains. Green Bear volunteers maintain three garden spaces: the Lewis Science Center atrium garden, the Dee Brown garden behind Arkansas Hall and a pollinator garden along the Stone Dam Creek Trail. These gardens operate as a closed-loop system that reuses seeds, composts waste and avoids fertilizers or pesticides.
“Our garden projects are really the shining star of Green Bear, because they show so much of our initiative and what sustainability means to us, because we’re showing that you can have that sustainability and that resiliency to keep something going for a while,” Nowlin said.
The produce grown in these spaces supports another important campus initiative. The harvests from the gardens are donated to the Bear Essentials Food Pantry, helping provide fresh produce to members of the campus community experiencing food insecurity.
“You shouldn’t go without your greens and fresh produce just because you have to go to a food pantry,” Nowlin said.
Beyond gardening, Green Bear volunteers participate in restoration and cleanup efforts across campus and in the Conway area. The organization has assisted with projects such as cleaning up Stone Dam Creek and restoration work connected to the Jewel Moore Nature Reserve. Through partnerships with groups like the Conway Tree Board, the Faulkner County Urban Farm Project and local schools, Green Bear members also help educate others about composting, recycling and sustainable practices.
Many of the coalition’s programs focus on helping students see how small changes in everyday habits can have a larger impact.
“Sustainability really isn’t that hard,” Nowlin said. “It just takes a simple change of mindset.”
Workshops and events hosted by the coalition often highlight simple steps students can take in their daily lives, from composting food waste to reducing single-use plastics and rethinking how everyday materials are used.
Since its founding, Green Bear has continued to grow beyond its initial base of environmental science students. Leaders within the organization hope to expand participation even further by encouraging students from across campus to get involved.
“My biggest goal for Green Bear is for us to really be on campus more than just the College of Science and Engineering,” Nowlin said. “I want people to know that this is a club for everyone.”
Whether through volunteering in a garden, participating in a creek cleanup or simply learning how to live more sustainably, the Green Bear Coalition continues to demonstrate how small changes can still make an impact and lead to a more environmentally conscious campus community.